BOULDER — Judging from the post-practice comments of Colorado coach Jon Embree on Friday, it appears freshman tailback Donta Abron (5-feet-9, 190 pounds) has moved ahead of two other freshmen at that position, Terrence Crowder (5-10, 210) and Davien Payne (5-11, 225).

When asked who will be the top back-up to sophomore starter Tony Jones, Embree mentioned sophomore Malcolm Creer (5-11, 205) and Abron, along with junior Josh Ford.

“It will be combination of that,” Embree said, adding that the pecking order behind Jones hasn’t been determined by the staff.

Embree said later that at least two true-freshman running backs are likely to play this season.

Abron, from Upland (Calif.) High School in the greater Los Angeles area, rushed for 1,754 yards and 33 touchdowns last fall as a senior. He was ranked as the nation’s 34th-best running back by ESPN.com.

BOULDER — Colorado men’s basketball coach Tad Boyle summed up the success of his team’s five-game European Tour in a way that spoke volumes:

“We were talking as a staff, and we agreed that after going on this trip it would be hard to fathom where we’d be without it,” Boyle said. “With so many new faces in the program, this gave us a great jump start to the season.”

Colorado went 2-3 on the tour, losing to two French teams, splitting two games in Belgium and winning a game in Amsterdam.

The opponents were professional teams, and included veteran players in their late 20’s and older.

BOULDER — During an interview this week with new Colorado quarterback Jordan Webb for a feature story that will run in Sunday’s Denver Post and on denverpost.com, I asked the Kansas transfer about any differences in CU’s way of doing things compared to Kansas during the Turner Gill era.

“I think here, it’s a little more aggressive coaching,” Webb told me.

When I asked Webb to elaborate, he said he gets more immediate feedback from CU coaches, including quarterbacks coach Rip Scherer.

“Coach Scherer, as soon as I get off the field, he’ll tell me if I missed something.” Webb explained.

“That’s what I really like. It’s harder to recall those if they wait until you’re watching film.”

Kensler joined The Denver Post in 1989 and has covered a variety of beats, including Colorado, Colorado State, golf, Olympics and the Denver Broncos. His brush with greatness: losing in a two-on-two pickup basketball game at Ohio State against two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin.

Terry Frei graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in the Denver area and has degrees in history and journalism from the University of Colorado-Boulder. He worked for the Rocky Mountain News while attending CU and joined the Post staff after graduation. He has also worked at the Oregonian in Portland, Ore., and The Sporting News. His seventh book, March 1939: Before the Madness, was issued in February 2014.